The present invention relates to a highly soluble sweetener granule (i.e., granular sweetener or granulated sweetener) containing Aspartame (hereinafter abbreviated as xe2x80x9cAPMxe2x80x9d) and Acesulfame K (hereinafter abbreviated as xe2x80x9cACE-Kxe2x80x9d) as active ingredients.
It is reported that the level of sweetness of APM which is an amino acid-based synthetic sweetener, is about 200 times that of sucrose in terms of weight ratio (Japanese Patent Application Publication (Kokoku) No. 31031/""72). When compared with sucrose which is regarded as a standard for evaluating sweetness characteristics, the profile of sweetness characteristics of APM is of such that it is weak in early taste (which means that the sweetener when placed in the mouth does not taste sweet so early as sucrose does), whereas it is strong in late taste (which means that the sweetener when placed in the mouth tastes sweet later than sucrose does). Accordingly, various approaches for the improvement of the sweetness profile of APM have been proposed mainly in terms of the late taste (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) Nos. 148255/""81, 141760/""83, 220668/""83 and the like), and a method for obtaining a more natural sweetness profile which is closer to that of sucrose, for example, by using APM in combination with sucrose has been also proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) No. 152862/""82).
On the other hand, ACE-K is also a synthetic sweetener having a sweetness level of about 200 times that of sucrose, like APM, but has such further poorer sweetness profile that it is strong in late taste, bitter taste, astringent taste, peculiar taste, and stimulation when compared with APM. Therefore, it has been subjected to various approaches for the improvement, including the use in combination with APM for improving the sweetness profile (U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,068, and corresponding Japanese Patent Application Publication (Kokoku) No. 51262/""84). For example, the Japanese Patent Application Publication discloses the concurrent use of ACE-K and APM in a (weight) ratio of about 1:10 to 10:1, especially about 2:5 to 5:2, which, in turn, provides a sweetness profile closer to that of sucrose than that of either of the two.
Thus, various proposes have been made for improving the sweetness profile of APM, and each has been successful to some extent. Nevertheless, APM involves still such other problem concerning its solubility characteristics that an industrially produced APM powder (crystals) in difficult to dissolve in water (because it has a tendency to form agglomerates (in Japanese, dama) and therefore, is not smooth to dissolve, and even without that, it has a lower rate of dissolution, and the like). The poorer solubility (i.e., poorer dissolution speed) due to such agglomeration and the like leads to the reduction in the production efficiency of food products or beverages to be supplemented with APM for imparting sweetness thereto, including soft drinks, which is, in turn, greatly disadvantageous to the commercial production thereof.
Some approaches for improving the solubility of APM have been proposed, including a method of graining (granulation). However, these approaches are still not satisfactory, e.g., because the solubility needs further improving (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) No. 346769/""92, and the like) and because a relatively larger amount of an excipient should be used concomitantly (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) Nos. 126855/""74, 19965/""75, 150361/""82, and the like). Incidentally, the concurrent use of ACE-K with APM disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent application Publication (Kokoku) No. 51262/""84 is a concurrent use by merely mixing aqueous solutions of the two components (i.e., an aqueous ACE-K solution and an aqueous APM solution), and there is not made in the patent document any suggestion of the concurrent use of the two components, both in the form of granules, nor any mention of the solubility of either of the two in the granular form.
In view of the prior art discussed above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an excellent method for improving the solubility of APM.
The present inventors have made an effort to achieve the object described above and found unexpectedly that when APM is prepared in an admixture with ACE-K into granules, the resultant granules undergo no agglomeration and exhibit a higher dissolution rate as compared with granules consisting of APM alone, i.e., that the overall solubility is improved, thus establishing the present invention.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a granulated sweetener comprising Aspartame and Acesulfame-K as active ingredients, wherein the amount of the Acesulfame-K is 5 to 90% by weight based on the total amount of both the components and wherein the maximum particle size of the granules is about 1,400 xcexcm or less.
The present invention will now be further described in greater detail below.
(a) Solubility of Original Powders and Single-component Granules
An APM original powder, an ACE-K original powder and granules produced by the method of Example 1 described below were respectively put in a dissolution tester to determine the respective time periods required for dissolution.
In the case of APM, those granules having a maximum particle size of about 1,400 xcexcm or less required shorter time period for dissolution, as compared with the original powder, i.e., a solubility-improving effect by such granulation was observed, whereas no solubility-improving effect by such granulation was obtained concerning the APM granules having a particle size exceeding about 1,400 xcexcm. On the contrary, the original powder of ACE-K exhibited an extremely high solubility as it was, and such granulation provided no particular improvement in solubility to the ACE-K (See Experiment 1).
Incidentally, a granulated sweetner comprising APM and ACE-K as active ingredients and having an ACE-K content of 90% by weight or higher is not desirable because the bitter taste characteristic of ACE-K gets evident.
(b) Solubility of Granules of a Mixture (i.e., Granulated Mixture) and a Mixture of Granules
Granules of a mixture of APM and ACE-K produced by the method of Example 1 (granules of mixture), and mixture of APM granules and ACE-K granules (mixture of granules) produced by the same method were respectively put in a dissolution tester to determine the time periods required for dissolution.
The results revealed that, insofar as the maximum particle size of the granules is 1,400 xcexcm or less, the dissolution rate of the granules of a mixture is always larger than that of the mixture of granules, with the ACE-K content (% by weight of the ACE-K present in the granules of a mixture, and, % by weight of the ACE-K granules present in the mixture of granules) being the same and the particle size being the same, and that the difference in dissolution rate between the two becomes more remarkable as the ACE-K content is increased and as the granule particle size is decreased, i.e., the dissolution-promoting effect of ACE-K on APM becomes more evident (See Experiment 2). The improvement in solubility observed with the granule of a mixture was considered to be due to the granule dissolution/disintegration-promoting effect by ACE-K, in addition to the prevention thereby of agglomeration and the prevention thereby of the floating on the surface of water.
Incidentally, an ACE-K content of 5% by weight or less provides almost no dissolution-promoting effect by ACE-K, while that of 90% by weight or higher causes the bitter taste of the ACE-K to get evident, as has been discussed above.
Therefore, the solubility-improving effect by ACE-K according to the present invention can be achieved using granules of a mixture of APM and ACE-K in which the ACE-K content is 5 to 90% by weight and at the same time, the maximum particle size is about 1,400 xcexcm or less. Granules having a maximum particle size of about 500 xcexcm or less provides a further improvement in dissolution rate if the ACE-K content is 20 to 90% by weight. Also, dissolution rate can be markedly improved, using granules having a maximum particle size of about 1,400 xcexcm or less and at the same time, having an ACE-K content of 50 to 90% by weight.
APM granules having an improved solubility as a result of admixture of ACE-K, i.e., the inventive granulated sweetener, can be produced by a known method. For example, a dry granulating process and also a wet granulating process can be employed. Specifically, granulation can be carried out by various methods such as mixing granulation, compacting granulation, extrusion granulation, fluidization granulation, rotation granulation, pulverization granulation, spray coating, tabletting or the like. However, for the purpose or less heat load and less complicated manufacturing process, it is commercially advantageous to employ a dry granulation process such as compacting granulation.
The inventive granulated sweetener can, depending on its use, contain a diluent or an excipient such as a sugar alcohol, an oligosaccharide and a dietary fiber as well as other high intense synthetic sweetener(s) such as Alitame, Saccharin, 3,3-dimethylbutylaspartylphenylalanine methylester and the like, like in the case of conventional intense synthetic sweetener compositions, for the purpose of obtaining a better handling or improving the sweetness profile, as long as the improved solubility of APM according to the present invention is not affected adversely. A diluent or an excipient referred to herein includes a low intense sweetener such as sucrose, glucose and the like.
It is known that APM can be improved in solubility by means of granulation (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) No. 346769/""92, referred to above). On the other hand, ACE-K exhibits an extremely high solubility even in the form of an original powder, and exhibits no improvement in solubility even if granulated (as found by the present inventors). Therefore, if APM and ACE-K are to be used concurrently for some purpose, it would usually occur to those skilled in the art to place APM granules and an ACE-K original powder separately but concurrently in water, and it is difficult for those skilled in the art to expect that granules of a mixture of APM and ACE-K are dissolved more rapidly than when APM granules and an ACE-K original powder are placed separately but concurrently in water, and it is even more difficult to expect that APM can be improved in solubility by preparing it into granules of a mixture with ACE-K.
From the fact that an APM original powder, if granulated, can be improved in solubility, by agglomeration in a liquid being avoided, it could only occur to those skilled in the art that an APM original powder, if mixed with ACE-K and granulated, does not agglomerate and has the same solubility as granules consisting of APM alone. Increased solubility of AMP when granulated in admixture with ACE-K as compared with granules composed only of APM is considered to be due to the simultaneous exertion of the disintegrating effect by ACE-K on granules having a larger particle size and the aggregation-preventing effect by ACE-K on granules having a smaller particle size, both of which are attributable to the addition of ACE-K.
The solubility of APM granules (i.e., granules consisting of APM alone) is just less unsatisfactory than that of an AMP original powder, and further improvement of the solubility is demanded by users. In accordance with the present invention, such further improvement of the solubility of APM has been realized, and also an excellent sweetener can be produced in which the sweetness profiles of both of APM and ACE-K are improved. While it would seem to those skilled in the art that a binder is considered to be essential for mixing and granulating APM together with ACE-K which is difficult to be integrated alone, APM serves as a binder unexpectedly in accordance with the present invention, whereby granulation of pure two components has been realized. A pure two-component sweetener composed only of ACE-K and APM, and containing no binder, diluent or excipient, can be extremely useful especially for beverage use.